Well, this is a lovely little island.
Boy, to look at it...you'd never be able to tell the game that takes place here is a horrific
bloodbath.
There's palm trees, and turquoise water.
Bodies.
Alright, the bodies kind of put a damper on things.
Well, let's make the best of it.
It's Dead Island: Riptide for the PlayStati—oh, sh*t.
Well, no wonder the hotel was so cheap.
I'll tell you what else is cheap.
Games about zombies.
They're about a dime a dozen these days, and what with the economy and...exchange rates.
That's even cheaper than it sounds.
Thing is...Dead Island: Riptide is actually a bit different.
One, it uses contrast really well...violently splattering blood and gore all over a tranquil
island landscape.
And two, it somehow manages to make the undead...well, boring.
Of course, that's not to say this is a bad game.
Just released for several platforms, Riptide certainly has its moments.
The game is interesting not only for its design, which combines a first-person, action RPG
with a bloody bucketful of survival horror, but also for its concept.
The zombie apocalypse has finally come, and you get to spend it...in paradise.
Or at least, what was once thought of as paradise.
Turns out, even in death, people like the beach.
The implication of the premise is actually pretty disturbing.
You're not lost in some creepy forest or remote village.
The virus has spread even here, to the furthest corners of the planet...the last bastion of
the peace and beauty of old Earth.
It's a cool idea.
Too bad the game doesn't think so.
Instead, it tells a convoluted story that's anything but interesting...led by a cast of
stereotypical and wholly unlikable characters.
Fortunately, you can skip the poorly acted and written cut scenes and jump straight to
the gameplay.
Unfortunately, there are problems to report there, too.
It's not necessarily the gameplay itself, though.
Riptide goes for the "use anything you can" approach when it comes to combat.
You can pick up tons of different weapons, and not only that, you can also upgrade them
and even modify them.
So an old baseball bat can become a...spiked death ball.
So the core gameplay is really about...scavenging the island for items and weapons, then using
them however you can to survive.
Each character has their own attributes, which is nice...and you have several skills that
can be leveled-up, as well.
And that's awesome stuff.
What's less awesome...is the structure that gameplay is placed in.
Which is to say...fetch quest city.
The missions get repetitive real fast, so unless you're playing co-op, Riptide just
has a tough time keeping your interest.
I mean, doing favors for strangers just isn't that much fun...even if it is the zombie apocalypse.
You know, there's actually a lot to like about Dead Island.
I love its use of contrast, in setting and color...and I really love the scavenge-to-survive
design.
I love fetch quests less, though.
Which means I kind of love Dead Island: Riptide, but...well, this is one vacation I certainly
won't be scrapbooking.